FIlm Review
Film Review: A Nightmare Wakes
Mary Shelley, nee Wollstonecraft, knew what it’s like to be a woman scorned. For decades she was considered just a bit player in a group which included husband Percy and Lord Byron, often also overshadowed by her parents (William Godwin & Mary Wollstonecraft). Even after writing Frankenstein, she was constantly undermined by questions over its …
Film Review: Greenland
Gerard Butler is possibly one of the least likely action heroes. Firstly, Hollywood blockbusters aren’t exactly normally the province of a leading Scotsman. Indeed, you’re more like to get Mel Gibson or Christopher Lambert murdering a Scottish accent. Then, there’s the fact he graduated from law school, which marks him out as someone a bit …
Film Review: The Wanting Mare
Cinema serves many functions, but escapism is definitely high up there on the list. To bring an audience together in a darkened room and then make them forget their troubles for a couple of hours, is a precious and priceless thing. As with literature, science fiction and fantasy have proved to be perennial favourites. The …
Film Review: Rams
Sam Neill is one of a rare breed of actor who seems to make everything better. He is a reassuring presence and even when he pops up on social media, usually on his farm, the Kiwi brings happiness and joy to many. He’s had a surprisingly eclectic career, from big blockbusters such as Jurassic Park …
Sundance Review: Hive
For a relatively new country, or more accurately an autonomous province or partially-recognised state, Kosovo has had more than its fare share of trauma. During the Yugoslav Wars, it was the region which was on the receiving end of the most intense oppression from the Serbian authorities. Kosovan Albanians were the victims of horrendous discrimination, …
Film Review: Mirai
There’s nothing that can prepare you for having children. Whilst a firstborn is a brand-new and exciting experience for everyone involved, the second child can prove to be a trickier proposition. For the parent(s), there’s the prospect of having to now juggle caring responsibilities for two young ones with everything else. Then there’s the elder …
Film Review: The Capote Tapes
Truman Capote is one of those authors whose exuberant personality and celebrity antics overshadowed his body of work. The American writer and playwright first came to prominence for his short stories, notably Miriam, but its his ‘non-fiction’ In Cold Blood and the delicious prose of Breakfast at Tiffany’s, which made him famous. The latter introduced …
Film Review: The Queen of Black Magic
At the end of last century, horror cinema had lost its mojo. After the golden age of the 1980s and the rise of big franchises, the next decade was a damp squib. However, the twenty-first century has seen a huge resurgence, initially sparked by Japanese and South Korean films. In recent years, Indonesia has shown …
Film Review: Synchronic
Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead are two of the most exciting voices in independent horror cinema. Beginning with 2012’s Resolution and followed by the brilliant Spring and The Endless, they’ve created cinema which is not only thoughtful, intelligent and innovative, but spans a number of genres. They have done much of the heavy lifting, on …
Film Review: Assassins
Whilst there remain a few secretive regimes around the world, none are quite as covert or fascinating as North Korea. Since the end of the Korean War, its borders have essentially been closed. Whilst we’re only afforded slivers of information from defectors or visitors, it’s clear that the Kim Family’s cult of personality, alongside the …